Joel Klampert

Biographical Information

Spouse's name: Kelly Klampert
Years married: 10.5 years
Children's names: Tristan (7), Collin (almost 3), Gavin (4 months)
Years leading worship: 13 years
Church name and location: St. Michael’s Church • Middletown, RI
Church website: www.stmichaelschurchri.com
Denomination: Charismatic Episcopal Church (not affiliated with the Episcopal Church, ECUSA)
Years at current church: 2
Instruments you play: guitar, drums, bass, piano, percussion..guitar is main instrument
Blog: I blog addictively.. www.cecworship.wordpress.com
Is your role full time, bi-vocational, or volunteer? At this point I am a volunteer Youth Director, worship leader, and designer for the church With hope for the future of full time ministry.

What are you listening to right now?

Michael Neale: No Greater Audience
Sojourn Music: Before the Throne
Natasha Bedingfield: Pocket full of Sunshine
The Choir: At the foot of the cross volumes 1&2
Mute Math: Mute math
Leeland : Opposite Way

What are you reading right now?

Contemplative Youth Ministry: Yaconelli
Edge of Eternity: Randy Alcorn
Growing Souls: Yaconelli
Abelton Live 6 Tips and Tricks: Delaney
and I wish I was reading Stephen Colbert’s book

What's your musical heritage?

My mom was a professional singer and my dad was a professional rock and jazz drummer. They both were in bands and did coffee houses etc. my whole life. My dad plays a ton of instruments as well besides drums.

What's the "DNA" of your church:

Our church is made up of a good variety actually. There are lots of kids and a fair amount of teenagers. We are praying for more young families. We have good amount of boomers and older.

Describe for us your church's worship "style" (both musical and nonmusical):

We believe worship is more than just the music. It is the entire service. Music in our church is woven into almost every aspect of the service. It is modern worship music and hymns mixed with Ancient liturgical. We call it 3 streams worship. It is Charismatic, sacramental, and evangelical. Our worship culminates with communion. The reason we are even Christians is because of Christ’s sacrifice. We remember that every week and the entire service is directed towards that. We also do liturgical music like a sanctus, doxology or “Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ will come again” put to music.

How has worship leading changed you?

I have in my years of leading worship been through ebb and flow but one thing has remained constant. God has been there every step of the way. I think keeping focus on Him and Kingdom thought is really what I try to do now. In our church we use “non nobis Domine” Not to us oh Lord…But to THY name we give glory. Worship for me has been a journey of trying to shake off myself and focus on him. More of Jesus and less of me.

Describe the make-up of your worship leading team:

Currently after some musician losses we have 2 guitars and drums. Praying for a new bass player. I am working on Ableton live to fill in the gaps. We have me on lead mic and 3 female backup singers. Periodically we have drama/skits and we have a wonderful couple in our church who are fantastic at acting. Three of us handle the sound area and tweak it we go. Right now we are in a set it and forget it situation.

Our projection guy is fantastic and is always on the ball.

What's the greatest "worship risk" you've ever taken?

Even though my family was amazingly musical I didn’t have much interest in it until my senior year of high school. After I graduated I went to work with Youth With A Mission. I went to the Ukraine to work with a local church. When we got there we found out our role was to teach the church there how to be effective in all it’s areas including worship.

Funny thing is I was the one who was to work with the worship team. One day we needed somebody to lead worship for our small group. There was nobody, but there was a guitar and a chord chart.

My worship risk was trusting in God when I picked the guitar up. I knew maybe 2 chords. I can’t explain what or how, but the next day I was leading worship with many chords and many songs.

Every good and perfect gift comes from Him.

Any risks you wish you had taken but did not?

There have been many times where I have been self-conscious about worship. Don’t raise your hand..somebody might see you…Don’t play so loud….You really think you should play that song…etc…

I think when it comes right down to it the greatest risks that I have not taken is when Jesus tells me to do or go somewhere in worship and I don’t.

Come back next week for part 2 of Joel's interview.

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